STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to a structure molded from thermoset plastic material and having a freeze-thaw resistant feature for exterior use as a tile or wall covering. Tiles are used for outdoor driveways and patios and are typically made of stone, brick or concrete.
Applicant has provided an exterior use tile of thermoset plastic material having a freeze-thaw resistant feature. The thermoset tiles are provided with anchors on the bottom surface. The anchors being suitable to be set into wet concrete to provide a secure supporting surface for foot or vehicle traffic.
In the North, because of the harsher climate, the practice of embedding things in concrete is avoided because water entering any gap or crack when it freezes increases in volume approximately ten percent (10%) and for this reason stones, and other objects such as tiles, will be pushed out of place by the freeze-thaw cycle of the water. Even plastic materials will shrink in the cold and will move out of place.
Applicant""s invention provides a mechanical connection between the tile and an underlying substrate, such as concrete. Applicant provides downwardly and outwardly extending members as anchors. These members have an attaching portion that secures the member to the tile, a hook portion that extends outwardly into the underlying substrate to secure the tile in position, and a stretching member portion that extends between the attaching portion and the hook portion. A stretch of one to one and a half percent of the length of the stretch member is desired.
The hook portion or hook member will hold the tile in place because when the water around the tile and hook freezes the supporting portion between the tile and the hook will stretch, allowing the slight but necessary movement of the tile. Upon thaw when the pressure is relieved, the memory of the plastic will return the tile to its original position. The tile can be used indoors or outdoors and can be molded into the side of concrete blocks to decorate outer surfaces.
The hooks which extend outwardly from the bottom surface of the tile may have a connecting or stretching member which extends generally away from the tile and may have a hook element which extends generally parallel to the tile bottom surface. In the alternative, the tile bottom surface may extend generally away from the tile and the hook portion may form an angle with the connecting member greater than 90 degrees. Applicant has found that greater stretch may be obtained in the connecting member when the hook element extends generally parallel to the tile surface.
It is important in this invention that the material used in the tile, in particular, in the connecting member portion of the tile, must have almost exactly the same coefficient of linear expansion with temperature as that of concrete. The outer surface of the thermoset tile can be made to have any desirable design, for example to be made to look like tiles, tile, granite, block or any other surface type treatment and may be decorated with any desired color on its outer surface. The plastic material may be mixed with a colored filler material to match the color on the outer surface. Scratches will be hidden by the colored filler material.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an exterior tile having a freeze-thaw resistant feature suitable for exterior use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an exterior tile having a freeze-thaw resistant feature suitable for exterior use that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and simple and efficient to use.